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Showing posts with label James Franco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Franco. Show all posts

Movie Mazzupial's Annual Oscars Party 2011

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

With everyone busy debating whether James Franco was more interested in his eyeballs than hosting the Oscars last night, it seems people have forgotten one of the biggest events of the night. No, not Charlie Sheen trying to snort the glitter of Hailee Stanfield’s dress, but my annual Oscars Party! Its been a tradition at my place for about the past five years, but the 2010 event really upped the ante. Thankfully though, thanks to some fabulous company, costumes and edible creations, this was definitely the best year yet! So much so that the festivities were even discussed on local radio this afternoon on the Gold Coast’s most popular drive home program thanks to their two finest news readers Keegan and Rachel - lovely mates of mine who came along and were stoked to pop their Oscars Party cherry. The highlight for them was the food, which is another tradition of mine and a lot of other film freaks out there. I make up puns related to the best picture nominees and create dishes around that. This year we had:


The King’s Peach (peach pie)

(Lil) Boy Story 3 (cherrios)127 SoursThe Social Nutwork

Winter’s Scone (scones, with Iception just out of shot there)The Kids Are All White (thanks to the amazing Kat, white chocolate crackles with white chocolate kids!)Brue GritBlack SwanThe Pieghter

An adequately named friend of mine, Candy, has started her own adequately named cake making business, Sweet As Candy, and she contributed this sweet masterpiece to the party – an Oscars cake:

My costume last year was about as boring as anything Reese Witherspoon wears EVER so I made this version of Bjork’s famous swan dress from the 2001 Academy Awards. My dear pal Kate helped do the swan neck and I stabbed my fingers to death sewing the feathers on to a plain boobtube, but overall I’m pretty stoked with the result even though I lack her Icelandic street cred:



There were some other great costumes, with people coming as everything from Daft Punk (in protest of their best original score exclusion) and Aron Rolleston, to Black Swan and The King’s Speech, dig the pics below:

I made most of the decorations myself, with plenty of poster donations from my buddies at the local cinema. We also played Oscar Bingo which was created by the rad peeps over at How About Orange. They do it every year and make up 12 different sheets with relevant squares relating to the events surrounding and predicted for the Oscars (for example “Christian Bale spotted with Jesus hair”).

But honestly, lame as it sounds, the highlight for me was the balls out brilliant company. Especially the gorgeous Kat and her fiancĂ© Corey (below), whom it was so lovely to hang out with properly. Kat stole the show in the cutest darn 50s gown I’ve seen in . . well, ever. She’s a young Martha Stewart and you can read her blog here. Also, I have a tonne of mint condition, lamented movie posters left over from the event and there’s a bunch I would like to give to you, so stay peeled for a few poster giveaways coming up.

Anyway, that’s a recap of my 2011 Oscars Party. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to top this year’s come 2012, but give me 12 months of scheming and we’ll see . . .

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A New Year's message from David Gould

Friday, December 31, 2010

The past year was no sleeper for filmmaker David Gould, head of Gold Coast film house David Gould Studios. Having worked with Peter Jackson on The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and King Kong, the visual effects guru found success with his own short film Awaken, which competed in the Cannes film festival Short Film Corner contest earlier this year. But the New Year is set to be one of the biggest yet for Gould, who is currently in New Zealand with wife Agnes working on two highly anticipated blockbusters.
``In 2011 we look forward to embracing the truly global nature of filmmaking,'' he said.
``We start work on the films Rise Of The Apes and Peter Jackon's The Hobbit in New Zealand.''


While the former stars James Franco and is a prequel to the Planet Of The Apes, the latter sees Gould return to Middle Earth for The Lord Of The Rings prequel. Both see him reunite with Jackson's cutting edge company Weta Digital. But big things are happening for the studio back home too.


After a successful pitch at the American Film Market in November where staff met producers to discuss feature projects, David Gould Studios will begin production on their own feature films in 2011.
``We hope to shoot our own action/thriller Stolen Senses in New Orleans, USA,'' Gould said.
``We will also be scouting locations in Chile for one of our thrillers.
``We will face many challenges filming around the world, but relish the opportunities that exposure to different cultures and languages will bring.''

For my previous stories on Gould click here, here and here.

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Lets mate, I mean date

Saturday, November 14, 2009

And I bring you another trailer fresh off the inter-web from another movie on 14 movies I must see in 2010 list; Date Night!

Yes, the Steve Carrell, Tina Fey led comedy with possibly the best supporting cast ever - Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Leighton Meester, Ray Liotta, Common, Kristen Wiig and more. Oh, did I mention Mark Wahlberg? Did I mention he's shirtless in the trailer? HELL YES!
Watch and drool.
Thoughts? The trailer looks like its been put together a bit tackily but there appears to be some good moments. We'll have to wait another six months to see the actual movie though. Sigh.

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The might of Date Night

Saturday, May 16, 2009

It’s a rare thing for Movie Mazzupial to admit she was wrong about a statement on this website but now is one of those times. Last month I boldly said, in relation to the superb casting of Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Tina Fey and Steve Carrell in Date Night that `could this cast get any more awesome? I think not!’ I was wrong. The awesome factor has been upped on what is looking to be one of the most highly anticipated comedies of 2010. The talented Mark Ruffalo, rising star Mila Kunis, creepy Ray Liotta, Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson, rapper Common and so-so Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester have also been announced as cast members. For a full run-down on the Date Night plot and info view my April post here. Frankly, I couldn’t care who else is added to the cast line-up as I can’t get past the fact that Mark Wahlberg and James Franco are starring in a movie together! Squealing and panty throwing is sure to ensue on my behalf. The comedy has already started shooting and is tagged with an early 2010 release date.

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. . .and Movie Mazzupial said it was good

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Oh. My. Gawd. Do you ever have those moments at work, on the train, or mid-conversation where you just float off day-dreaming and go to your happy place? I do. One such happy place is an orgy starring myself, Mark Wahlberg and James Franco. I now have confirmation there actually is a God as my happy place is becoming a reality! By reality, I mean the kind where I have a body like Beyonce, ride a Unicorn to work and am a writer at Empire Magazine. In translation Wahlberg and Franco have been attached to star in a comedy called Date Night by director Shawn Levy (of the Night At The Museum movies). The flick revolves around a couple played by comedy heavy-weights Tina Fey and Steve Carell whose night on the town goes awry. Wahlberg stars as a buff securities expert and Franco is a dim-witted criminal. Seriously, could this cast get any more awesome? I think not! With a 2010 release date there’s still plenty of time for a few more names to be added to the line-up but right now my contentment is filled to the brim. Date Night marks Wahlberg’s second venture in to comedy after he was signed on to star with Will Ferrell in The B-Team (click here for more info). Comedy, action, drama . . . .I couldn’t give a hoot what genre he stars in as long as I see some fresh Wahlberg movies soon! As a side-bar, Franco is ace and his comedy work in Pineapple Express earned him a Golden Globe nomination so this project should be stellar (Stellllaaaa!).

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. . .but you can have the rest of my Milk.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Gus Van Sant's new film Milk is one of the top two films I wanted to see most in 2009. The trailer was epic and gave me all sorts of goosebumps. Watching Margaret and David's review of Milk in December as part of their summer special only fueled my intense desire to see this film with Margy giving it 4 and a half stars and Davy giving it (for the first time in my memory) a perfect five star review. I was finally able to catch an advanced screening of it last night and I was not disappointed. This is the kind of movie film students are going to study in years to come and definitely one of Gus Van Sant's best films which is saying a lot. Undoubtedly he is one of the best film makers of our time with creations such as; My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting,Finding Forrester and Elephant (to name a few). But Milk is something else. A true story, Milk is based on California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone. Sant seamlessly merges archive footage with acted scenes to the point where you're sometimes uncertain whether you're watching the actors or the real-life characters home movies, a newspaper clipping or tv news archive. Sant and his casting director have also done a brilliant job at not only rounding up a superb ensemble cast, but the actors bare an unbelievable resemblance to the real-life movers and shakers. The performances are nothing short of AMAZING especially for supporting cast members Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and James Franco particularly who is beyond convincing as Harvey Milk's long time lover. You cannot, however, get past the brilliance that is SEAN PENN. He is in my number one favourite actor of all time and even I was blown away by this performance. SEAN PENN IS HARVEY MILK. I honesty thought nothing could beat Penn's performances in Mystic River and Dead Man Walking. I was wrong. wrong, wrong and Penn delivers his most subtle, heart-wrenching and memorable portrayal to date. He trumps Mickey Rourke in best performance by an actor in a leading role and Milk trumps Slumdog Millionaire for best major motion picture. Gus Van Sant trumps Danny Boyle for best director. Openly gay himself, to Sant's credit the bet thing he does is restrain any notion of over production. Although he has obviously and painstakingly crafted this film in a very intricate fashion, one of its biggest assets is Sant's lets the amazing true-story and incredible performances appear to do the work while his inventive and inconceivably creative camera techniques subtly add to the calibre that makes Milk a masterpiece in its own right. If I could have my way I'd give Milk every Oscar I could pry from the Academy's steel grip but frankly, whether it wins or loses in the coming weeks is irrelevant. Milk is and will always be an important film with a universal message of hope.
Milk opens in cinemas this Thursday, January 29.

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And the junior Oscar goes to . . . .

Monday, January 12, 2009

The Golden Globes are all but over and here's a complete list of the winners:

  • Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
  • Best Original Song: Bruce Springsteen, “The Wrestler”
  • Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, “John Adams”
  • Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, “Recount”
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment”
  • Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama: Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
  • Outstanding Animated Feature: “WALL-E”
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
  • Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: “John Adams”
  • Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
  • Best Foreign Language Film: “Waltz With Bashir”
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Laura Linney, “John Adams”
  • Best Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Paul Giamatti, “John Adams”
  • Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy: “30 Rock”
  • Best Original Score, A.R. Rahman: “Slumdog Millionaire”
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
  • Cecil B. DeMille Award: Steven Spielberg
  • Best Director - Motion Picture: Danny Boyle “Slumdog Millionaire”
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, “In Bruges
  • Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -Drama: Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”
  • Best Television Series - Drama: “Mad Men”
  • Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
  • Best Motion Picture - Drama: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Thoughts? Feelings? Deepest, darkest secrets? The last part was a joke but I'm curious to know what everyone thought of the results. It was definitely a night for the underdog and suprisingly I think majority of the awards went to the right people, for once! It's good to see the Golden Globes give two awards to Kate Winslet because although she definitely deserved them, the judging panels tend to steer away from awarding the same actor twice. I must admit I'm dissapointed James Franco didn't win for Pineapple Express but Colin Farrell's performance was definitely better and I'm SO SO SO stoked he got the globe for it! And kudos to Anna Paquin, now she has another Globe to go with the others (and her Oscar) for her role in the vampire tv series True Blood, based on the cult Sookie Stockhouse novels. Get a Woody! It's nice to see what I thought was Woody Allen's return to form Vicky Cristina Barcelona getting the chops it sincerely deserves. Good on ya Woody and lets keep the good work up. But, the night was all about HEATH LEDGER and director Chris Nolan accepted the award for best supporting actor on his behalf. Lets hope this winning momentum carries through to the Oscars where Heath SHOULD win best supporting actor.

In conclusion, I don't think I can ever remember being so satisfied with the results of an awards ceremony. No doubt, I wanted Milk to pick up a few awards however Slumdog Millionaire is apparently brilliant and a worthy winner. The official Oscar nominations are being released on Tuesday, January 20 and I think it's about time The Dark Knight gets nominated for best motion picture. Just because it's an action film and not an emotional drama, that doesn't make its brilliance any less warranted. Come on Academy, give it the nod it clearly deserves.

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Got milk?

Monday, December 29, 2008


Hot damn, I wish I did! And no, I don’t mean the kind that comes out of a cows teat. I’m talking about the new film from super-awesome Gus Van Sant titled Milk which is getting all sorts of praise for great acting and superb direction. A true story, Milk is based on California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone. Not only is this directed by one of my top six favourite directors (Sant) it stars one of my favourite actors (Sean Penn) in the title role. Penn is backed up by a superb supporting cast with Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and James Franco in another strong career move. I’ve seen the trailer no less than six times at the movies and it blows my mind every view. The link below will take you to said trailer of brilliance -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW0lQrWn5VI
I’d heard a little bit about this story thanks to the copious amount of gay friends I have and the movie looks absolutely brilliant from the 2 minutes and 35 seconds I’ve seen. From those who have seen Milk they’re tipping it to take out all five major categories at the coming Oscars including; best picture, best director, best actor in a lead role, best supporting actor and best original screenplay. Win or loose I’m pumped to see this asap. Milk is released January 2009 in Australia, probably at selected cinemas so keep your eyes peeled.

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Tis the season . . .

Friday, December 12, 2008

It’s geering up to one of my favourite times of year! No, not Christmas . ..awards season! I always look forward to finding out the nominations for the Golden Globes and Oscars despite the fact I’m nearly always disappointed with who the winners are. The Globes and Oscars mark a tradition for me-staying up late with a tasty beverage and watching the whole ceremony. I find the whole process so fascinating and like the opportunity to earmark any quality films I haven’t seen yet. The Golden Globe nominations were announced today by the always lovely Miri opps I mean Elizabeth Banks and are as follows:

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Leonardio DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Christina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Javier Bardem, Vicky Christina Barcelona
Colin Farrell, In Bruges
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman, Last Chance Harvey

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden/Denmark)
Gomorrah (Italy)
I’ve Loved You So Long (France)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
David Hare, The Reader
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clint Eastwood, Changeling
James Newton Howard, Defiance
A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Hans Zimmer, Frost/Nixon

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE

a. “DOWN TO EARTH” — WALL-E
Music by: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman
Lyrics by: Peter Gabriel

b. “GRAN TORINO” — GRAN TORINO
Music by: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
Lyrics by: Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens

c. “I THOUGHT I LOST YOU” — BOLT
Music & Lyrics by: Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Steele

d. “ONCE IN A LIFETIME” — CADILLAC RECORDS
Music & Lyrics by: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street

e. “THE WRESTLER” — THE WRESTLER
Music & Lyrics by: Bruce Springsteen

Thoughts? The awards committee clearly responded well to Ben Stiller’s comedy Tropic Thunder with more than a few nominations. Everyone’s eyes are on the best supporting actor category. I think it’s awesome Robert Downey Jnr was nominated for Tropic Thunder because he really was brilliant but I thought he would be starved of a nomination due to the comedic nature of the film. And Tom Cruise! His turn in said movie was also great and it’s nice to see he’s getting some recognition for it . . . even if I think he’s a tool. I thought Australia was unlucky to miss out nomination in several categories, particularly best actress for Nicole Kidman. Don't get me wrong-I'm not a Nicole Kidman fan. Yeah, I know, I'm unAustralian etc etc but she was genuinely great in Australia. I’m glad to see In Bruges has a handful of nominations as it was one of the best and underrated films of the year. But it’s all about Heath. If he doesn’t win, the awards committee (in the wise words of Homer Simpson) deserve a “glove slap”. His turn as the joker in The Dark Knight was seriously one of the best things I have EVER seen on screen. I couldn’t take my eyes off him and his performance had a lot to do with why I saw that film five times at the cinema. The fact he is no longer with us is irrelevant to the award. No other actor in any film this year (dare I say the past few decades) came close to something as brilliant as what he pulled out of his dynamite ridden bag. Heath Ledger deserves the Golden Globe for his joker. He deserves the Oscar for it too. Let’s hope his posthumourous win at the Australian Film Institue Awards over the weekend for best international performance from an Australian actor is a good indication the Globe and Oscar are on their way.
Wait a second, I almost forgot to mention my second favourite nomination.
JAMES FRANCO FOR PINEAPPLE EXPRESS! YAAAAAAAAYYYYYY! I’ve already mentioned a thousand times over this is my favourite comedy of 08 and I’m glad to see the critics have got off their high horse and slipped the nominations out to those who deserve them. If you haven’t seen Franco in this film yet then you MUST see it! NOW! GO! Freakin hilarious.

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Bro-mance anyone?

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Just got out of the Pineapple Express premiere and I have good news…it’s hilarious. In fact, I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a comedy for a long, long time. I can’t even remember the last time I went to a comedy at the movies and genuinely laughed the whole way through! How sad! Oh how I’ve desperately wanted to laugh but there’s been so many shit comedies lately my funny bone has remained untickled. Until tonight that is. Notably the Pineapple Express trailer was good but so was the You Don’t Mess With The Zohan trailer and we all know what a craptastic movie that was. The Pineapple Express explores the depths of a dealer buyer relationship between Saul Silver (James Franco) and Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) when the two go on the run after Denton witnesses a murder. Hilarity ensues. Yeah, okay, so there’s more to the plot than outlined above but I’m not going to wreck the rest of the movie for you, just go see it.

What’s the verdict you ask? I loved it. I loved it so much I got many a stare during the screening because my elmo-esque laugh stands out, especially in a cinema when no one else is laughing at that point. Admittedly if you’re not a fan of Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s style of comedy (i.e 40-year-old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and a slice of Forgetting Sarah Marshall) then this probably won’t appeal to you. Like a lot of the comedy trio’s other films, this one explores the notion of bro-mance and how decent mates essentially can’t live without each other. Also, if you can’t handle stoner jokes then avoid. To the remaining 99% of the population jump on the Pineapple Express because it’s heading direct to awesome-town. It’s common knowledge Franco and Rogen have stayed bosom buddies since their days on 90s comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks and they use their real life mateship perfectly to bounce off each others performance. In the end, it’s Franco who shines. More known in Hollywood for his `total hotness’ and dramatic roles (personal favs include Spiderman1,2, 3 and Tristain&Isolde) Franco is SO good at comedy and plays this role SO perfectly you’ll forget he’s acting. Pineapple Express pays homage to the action-comedies of the 70s and 80s which is a bold move for Apatow and the team, especially considering how god awful that could have gone. Somehow the combination of action, comedy and signature Apatow/Rogen style (I’ll call it Apagen) come together like hot fudge toping on a sundae, if you were that way inclined.
My consensus: thank-freaking-halleluiah for the Pineapple Express because I was beginning to lose my faith in comedies, high fives all round y’all. Go see it. Honestly though, I don’t think I can wait this long between decent comedies, it’s just too much to bear.
Fav part: (Franco runs in, slow mo) Fuck the po-lice!
Stay tuned for Stop Loss review faithful readers . . . .

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